Families who have received the news that their child is suffering from a life-threatening illness may be overwhelmed to learn that a blood cell or marrow transplant is recommended for him or her. Not only do parents need a crash course on what will be involved from a medical perspective, but they face an intense family crisis as well. While families of course want a cure, they also need all the help they can get as they embark with their child on a journey through one of the most complex and costly of medical procedures.  

In some cases, there is only a very short span of weeks or months before plans are underway for transplant, while in other cases, there may be months or even years to plan ahead. BMT is not just a medical procedure that takes place as a one-time event, but is a highly complex and lengthy process that requires both the efforts of an entire medical team and the equally important efforts of the patient’s family and loved ones.

Over the past 6 years, MAVIN has learned that patient families have a great need for accurate, thorough information and appropriate resource referrals on all of the practical and logistical aspects of BMT, beyond  medical specifics. Therefore we have aimed to cover the range of needs of patient families, while recognizing that each family’s situation is unique, and that not all topics covered pertain to every patient.  We realize further that resource guides can quickly become outdated. Your feedback on its contents, as well as suggestions on both the usefulness of this site and recommendations for new listings, are most welcome.

You will note also that much of the information and many of the resources contained on this site relate to BMT as a treatment for childhood cancer and blood diseases. This is because most transplants are done for blood cancers and diseases, like leukemia and lymphoma;  non-malignant blood conditions like sickle cell disease and thalassemia;  along with blood disorders that can progress to become cancers;  and certain solid tumor cancers. In addition, BMT may be used for some rare immune , genetic, and metabolic disorders.  As medical science advances, new uses for and methods of BMT are being developed. Since the BMT process and patient and family needs are the same no what a child’s particular diagnosis, we have tried to include information that is relevant to all.

Lists of diseases treated :

About BMT: Treatable Diseases

Learning More about Your Disease